Fireflies
by Lord Rekhyt
Summary: Envy is the new kid in school, and meets Edward Elric. Edward starts to fall for Envy, but Ling is falling for Edward, and fast... Sometimes you need a firefly to light your path to love. EnvyXEd EdXLing EnvyXLing Yaoi in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist! __

_**Warnings: **_Rated M for Yaoi, language, and mature themes.

_**Chapter 1:**_

_**Honey and Violet**_

_Edward P.O.V_

It was just another day at Amestris high, with rain pouring down in sheets and hitting the windows of the school loudly. The sky was a dark grey, almost black, and the artificial lights flickered slightly every time the roar of thunder ripped through the air. The air felt heavy and cold, and the general feeling was one of depression under the ominous conditions.

Edward Elric sat in the back of his class, dutifully taking notes while the teacher spoke, but his attention was slipping rapidly. He couldn't focus properly when it was raining like this, as the weather made him lethargic and slow. He glanced around, looking at the other students there, not really paying them much attention. He never did. He had his select group of friends, like Roy and Ling, and the rest of the school he ignored.

He sighed deeply and glanced out of the window, staring out into the thick rain.

"Mr. Elric." The teacher said. "Have I already eluded your short attention span?"

Edward snapped his head back to glare at the teacher. "I'm not short!"

The teacher rolled his eyes. "I was referring to your lack of concentration, not your lack of height."

"I don't have a lack of height!" Edward yelled, and a few people sniggered at him.

It was common knowledge that Edward was rather sensitive about his short stature, and he was prone to getting loud about it when provoked. The teacher sighed deeply and rubbed his temples, not in the mood for another argument about vertical superiority.

"Alright, Mr. Elric. I'll concede; you are not a midget."

"Midget?" Edward exclaimed, riling up immediately. "I'm not a midget!"

The whole class was roaring with laughter by this point, and the teacher grinned. Infuriating Edward was a good mood lightener for the other students.

"Now, now, Edward," he said, "There is no need to belittle my authority."

"I'm not little!"

The teacher gave a mock sigh. "I apologize for this tiny interruption, class."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING TOO SHORT TO SIT IN A CLASSROOM?"

"Mr. Elric, please keep your voice down." The teacher said, satisfied.

Edward huffed and folded his arms over his chest. He turned to the window again and glared out of it.

"I hate school." He muttered.

Later that day, he was sitting in the cafeteria during his lunch period, listening to Ling and Roy talking excitedly about something. He had missed the topic of the conversation, but it seemed that both boys found it to be something to celebrate.

"What are you guys talking about?" Edward asked around a mouthful of curry.

"The new students coming next week, of course." Roy replied as if it were obvious.

"Yeah," Ling added. "Roy is hoping that one of them will be a cute girl. Me, I'm hoping for a cute guy."

Edward stared at them blankly.

"New students?"

Roy let out a frustrated groan. "Edward, do you even live in the same world as us? The whole school has been buzzing about this for weeks."

Edward shrugged. "I don't pay attention to anyone here except you guys."

Ling smirked. "Apparently not, since we've been talking about it too. Where do you go when you space out like that?"

Edward glared at him.

"Shut up and tell me about the new students."

"Well, they say there're four of them. They're family, or so I've heard, transferring some or another town. Man, I hope one of them is cute. I need a girl!"

Ling chuckled. "I need a guy."

"What about you, Eddy?" Roy asked. "Have you decided which side of the fence you're on yet?"

Edward frowned lightly in thought.

"Not really, Roy. No one has caught my attention, male or female."

They sighed theatrically. Edward's sexuality was always being questioned, since they wanted to know what he liked, but since he never looked at anyone, not even he knew.

"Well, whatever." Roy said. "They're arriving next week, and I can't wait."

Edward nodded distractedly, again turning his attention inward.

After school, he walked to the bus stop to meet with his brother, Alphonse, but was distracted by the sudden appearance of Ling.

"Hey, buddy, whatcha doing tonight?" Ling asked.

"Nothing really." Edward replied. "Why?"

Ling shrugged. "Mind if I come over for the night? It's Friday, after all, and it's my sister Mei's birthday, so I don't want to be at home."

Edward smiled in understanding. "Sure, Ling. I don't mind."

Edward and Alphonse lived alone in their house. Their mother, Trisha, had died a few years back, and their father, Hoenheim, had become distraught. He left shortly after, gone to travel the world, and placed money into a bank account for his sons regularly so that they could survive. Other than that, however, he had no contact with them.

Ling grinned and followed Edward onto the bus, talking once again about the new students that would be arriving.

That night, Edward was sitting on the couch between Ling and Alphonse, getting annoyed. He glanced left, then right, and became irritated that everyone was taller than he was. Sitting between them only made things worse.

"I'm going to make coffee." Edward declared in an annoyed tone.

"Want some help?" Ling offered.

Edward nodded, forgetting about his irritation, and led the way into the kitchen.

While they waited for the water to boil, Ling leaned back against the counter and looked at Edward as though he was a mildly fascinating piece of art.

"Why are you staring at me?" Edward said after a while.

"I was just noticing how attractive you really are." Ling admitted, and Edward's face reddened.

"What?"

"Face it, Eddy, you're hot.'

Edward glanced away.

"Still not sure about things?" Ling inquired, and Ed nodded.

"I don't know, Ling… I haven't done anything with a girl or a guy, and it bugs me."

Ling closed the distance between them in two steps.

"Let's change that then." He said with a faint smirk. "A kiss is all it takes."

Edward felt his whole body heat up. Here, in the kitchen, Ling was talking casually about kissing him, as though it was the easiest thing.

But then, wasn't it? A kiss meant nothing, after all.

Steeling his nerves, Edward nodded, giving Ling permission.

A second later, he felt Ling's warm lips pressed against his own in a light kiss. It didn't last long, though, before Ling pulled away.

"Well?" Ling asked.

Edward considered it. In all truth, he liked it, but a peck on the lips was just too basic and impersonal.

He put his arms around Ling's waist and pulled him down to his height.

"Kiss me properly, then I'll tell you." He said.

Ling laughed and did as he was told, slipping his tongue into Edward's mouth. The shorter boy melted at the feeling.

When they pulled apart again, he was panting slightly.

"You're definitely not straight." Ling said breathlessly. "Bi, maybe gay, I don't know…"

"I don't think it'd be as good with a girl…" Edward admitted bashfully.

Ling smiled. "Gay then."

Edward nodded, and Ling started doing a little dance.

"Oh, man, Roy is gonna be so pissed! He was hoping you'd be straight, cuz then it'd be two straight guys and one gay. Now he's the odd one out."

Edward laughed, and the tension in the room evaporated.

One kiss, and Edward finally had the answer he was looking for. Now the problem was going to be telling everyone, especially Alphonse.

Alphonse wasn't quite homophobic, but he didn't like it at all. He would normally avoid Ling because he was gay, which would make life hard when he found out.

"Ling, let's this news quiet for now, okay? I don't need Alphonse finding out."

Ling nodded. "And what about me?"

Edward looked confused, then laughed at the obvious joke.

"We both know that you meant nothing by that kiss, Ling."

Ling laughed quietly as well while Edward began walking out of the kitchen. With his back turned, he didn't notice the look on Ling's face, which clearly said that he meant everything by that kiss.

_Envy P.O.V_

Envy threw himself down onto his new bed in his new home. He fished a book out of a box next to his bed and flipped it to where he had left off before he had been forced to pack the book. Coming from a family as large as his, with six siblings, he was often forced to find his own source of entertainment. Normally that would have been hanging out with his twin sister, Lust, or trying to irritate his older brother, Greed, but today he was feeling reclusive and anti-social.

He would never understand his mother's decision to name her seven children after the seven deadly sins. She had said that she had always wanted seven children, and claimed that their names where due to a bet that she lost with her now deceased husband, but Envy took that as a joke. At least, he hoped it was a joke, since getting named from a lost bet wasn't something to be proud of. Funny enough, however, their names were rather appropriate. Each of them seemed to have the trait they were named after; Wrath, the youngest, had a tendency toward anger. Sloth was incredibly lazy. Pride was full of himself. And Gluttony was always eating. The three oldest, being Pride, Greed and Gluttony, were all going to college now, while the younger four were attending high school. Sloth was a year older than seventeen year old Envy and his twin, with Wrath being a year younger, at sixteen. Their family was strange, since even though there were so many of them, they got along fairly well.

There was a light tap on the door. "Envy?"

Envy looked up and saw Lust entering his room.

"What is it, Lust?" he asked, running his fingers through his long, dark greenish black hair.

"Nothing, really," she answered, "it's just weird, not sharing a room with you anymore. I'm used to having you around."

Envy nodded. "I know what you mean. But we're getting older, and soon we'll need our privacy."

Lust nodded. "I guess."

She stretched out on the foot of his bed, looking up at the roof, and they fell into a comfortable silence.

Even when he wanted to be alone, Envy liked to have Lust with him. She didn't feel the need to fill the silence with meaningless chatter. She would simply be there, and that was enough.

"School starts tomorrow." Lust said after a while of silence.

"I know." Envy said, rolling his eyes.

She smacked his leg and looked at him.

"It might be fun, you know. We need to make some friends and go out."

Envy nodded. Making friends had always been a problem for him. He was simply not a social person.

"It's rather late," Lust noted, looking out the window into the darkness of the night.

"Always one to state the obvious." Envy commented, earning him another smack.

"I was just saying it because I think I'm going to head off to bed now. I'll wake you up in the morning, shall I?"

Envy nodded. "Thanks. You know I won't get up unless you wake me."

She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Envy sighed and switched the light off, then stripped off his jeans and shirt and climbed under his blanket. He stared at the dark roof and felt a bubble of nervousness settle in the pit of his stomach as his eyes raked over the grey stone above him. A new school… Another group of teenagers to irritate and mock him.

With another sigh, he rolled over and punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape. He closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

It was a sunny day, so Envy chose to wear a plain black t-shirt, black shorts, and black flipflops. Black was his favorite color, and almost every item of clothing he had was black, except the occasional bright shirt that had most likely been bought for him by Sloth.

"You dressed yet?"

Speak of the devil… Sloth stuck her head through his door and glanced at him,

"Yeah." Envy replied. "The others?"

"Lust, yes. Wrath, no." Sloth replied.

"Some things never change." Envy stated, and Sloth nodded in agreement.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their new school, and Envy hopped out of the car, followed by Lust. They were in the same class, which was at the opposite end of the building, and they had to run to make it in time.

"See you at lunch guys!" Envy yelled over his shoulder. He ran with Lust down the corridors until they finally reached their class. They stood panting while Lust knocked lightly on the door, and a middle aged woman answered the door.

"You must be my new students." She said with a smile. The two sins nodded, and she stepped aside to let them in.

"Class, these are our new students." The teacher said. "Envy and Lust, am I right?"

Envy and Lust nodded while the other students gave them odd looks for their names.

"Are those your real names?" an annoying red haired kid asked.

"Yes." Envy said rudely.

The teacher frowned at him. "I'm Mrs. Curtis." She introduced herself. "Why don't you two find seats, and we'll continue with the lessons."

They nodded and moved amongst the desks. Lust found an open seat near the front of the class, and Envy made his way toward the windows in the middle of the room. He sat down in front of a short blond boy with a long ponytail.

Mrs. Curtis started to talk about Macbeth, and Envy tuned her out. He had learned this all before in his previous school. He stared out of the window at the lawn, lost in thought.

Lust turned in her seat to glare at him pointedly, but he just waved her off with an offhand shrug.

For more than half the lesson, he was blissfully unaware of everything around him, until he felt a light poke in is back from the guy behind him.

"Hey, do you have a pen I can borrow? Mine just broke." The boy asked in a fairly attractive voice.

"Sure." Envy replied. He rummaged in his pencil case for a moment before finding a blue ballpoint pen, and turned around to give it to the guy.

"Here, I hope this is…"

Envy trailed off without noticing. When he turned around, he had found himself string straight into a pair of large, honey-gold eyes, and he was instantly lost in them. They were framed by golden bangs, and the boy, who ever he was, was smiling. Envy felt his cheeks heat up, but he was so enchanted that he didn't turn away.

"Hey, are you okay?" the boy asked, finally snapping Envy out of his stupor.

"I'm fine." He mumbled, looking down.

"I'm Edward Elric." The boy introduced himself.

"Envy." Envy replied.

"No surname?"

Envy shook his head. "No, no surname. Just Envy."

"That's weird." Edward commented. "But kinda cool."

Envy blushed again and quickly turned to face the window again.

He couldn't believe it… one look into Edward's eyes and he had been completely lost.

He couldn't describe the electricity that he felt, looking into those eyes, and he was surprised to find that for the rest of the lesson he kept glancing back to look at Edward.

For the next two lessons, Envy was too busy thinking about Edward to pay any attention, earning him a whack on the head from Lust as they walked to the cafeteria.

"You've never been this distracted before, Envy." She said. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing…" Envy muttered.

"Bullshit." Lust retorted.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Envy yelled at her, and she sighed.

"Fine. But you know I'll find out sooner or later, Envy."

He rolled his eyes at his twin as they entered the lunch hall.

They spotted Sloth and Wrath sitting at a table across the room, but half way there Envy heard his name being called out. Turning, he saw that it was Edward Elric.

Edward was waving him over, motioning for him to join him and his friends, and Lust smirked evilly.

"See you later, Envy." She said, walking away to their siblings.

"Bitch." Envy hissed under his breath. He turned back to Edward and walked over to him.

"Hi…" he said nervously as he got there.

"Hey," Edward said with a smile, "Why don't you sit with us?"

He motioned to himself and his two friends. One had an eastern look to him, with long black hair, and the other was slightly pale, with a mop of spiky black hair on his head.

"This is Ling," Edward said, pointing at the eastern boy, "and this is Roy."

The two boys nodded at him and greeted him, and Envy sat down.

"So how do you like the school?" Roy asked. "Seen any girls you like?"

Envy shrugged nonchalantly. Truthfully, there was no girl that would catch his eye, since he had no interest in them. But he had definitely seen a boy that he liked.

He shook his head, but the next question, from Ling, caught him off guard.

"Have you seen a boy you like, then?" Ling asked.

Envy blushed hard, his normally pale skin going a brilliant crimson.

"I'll take that as a yes…" Ling said with a smirk while Roy rolled his eyes.

"Am I the only straight guy left?" he asked. "Except Edward of course, but I'm not counting shrimp."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING TOO SHORT TO –"

"Anyway," Ling said over Edward's ranting. "Don't worry about it, new guy. This school is rather liberal about things like that. I mean, I've been out for a few years now, and no one has ever given me shit for it."

"Liar." Edward snickered. "There was one guy that did, once…"

"What happened?" Envy asked, both curious to know and eager to steer the conversation away from himself.

Ling shrugged while the other two laughed.

"He was in my face, telling me how disgusting homosexuality is, and I was getting annoyed by how close to me he was, so I did the one thing that I knew would make him back off…"

Envy frowned, not quite following where this was going.

"I kissed him." Ling said, and the other boys laughed harder.

Envy laughed hard. "How'd he react to that?" he choked out between laughs.

"He ran away." Ling said, satisfied. "He never came near me again."

Envy laughed harder. "Brilliant."

With his violet eyes brimming with mirth, he noticed Edward staring at him, and he blushed again.

"What?" he asked, looking away.

"Your eyes." Edward said. "I didn't notice… They're violet. That's an unusual color."

Envy nodded slightly. "Yeah. All my siblings have the same color too, though some have it darker or lighter. Greed's eyes are the darkest, almost a royal purple."

"Greed?" Edward asked. "I know about Lust, and I've heard about Sloth and Wrath. I thought you only had three siblings."

Envy laughed. "Sorry, but no. There are seven of us in total."

"Seven?" Roy exclaimed. "Holy – Was your mom a rabbit?"

Ling elbowed him in the ribs hard, and looked to see if Envy had taken offence, but he just chuckled.

"So Envy," Edward asked. "What are you doing on Friday night?"

Envy was caught off guard and started to stutter.

"We're going to the mall on Friday after school." Ling supplied. "Just the three of us. Well, four if you want to come."

"Five if you invite your sister." Roy said.

"Roy," Edward reprimanded. "Stop thinking with your dick, you pervert."

Roy gave him the finger.

"I'll be there." Envy said with a smile. "And I guess I can ask my sister, if you tell me which one."

"Lust." Roy said immediately. "She's hot."

Envy nodded and tried not to grin. If Lust's history with boys was anything to go by, Roy would be in for a rough time trying to court her.

_**oOoOoOo**_

A/N: Leave me a review and let me know if you like it! If I get reviews, I'll continue with the story.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Australia… Fine, I also don't own Fullmetal Alchemist… __

_**Warnings: **_Rated M for Yaoi, language, and mature themes.

A/N: Wow, I didn't think I'd get such a good response for the first chapter, but you guys were awesome! Thanks a lot!

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Triangle**_

_Edward P.O.V_

Over the course of the next few days, Edward watched as Envy adjusted to their group of friends. The boy seemed shy at first, but as Edward, Roy and Ling prodded and pried they slowly learned more about him. Nothing to really go by, since Envy seemed unduly guarded, but enough to become comfortable with him. He made a good addition to the group, and even Roy seemed to be enjoying his presence. By Thursday it felt as if he had been there with them since the beginning. He fell perfectly into their group of friends, even though he was by far the most quiet.

"So are we still on for tomorrow?" Ling asked as they sat down for lunch. Envy and Roy were sitting on one side, while Ling and Edward sat on the other.

Edward nodded, as did Roy. Envy nodded too, but in a more distracted way.

"Did you ask Lust to come with?" Roy asked eagerly, and Edward chuckled.

"I asked her," Envy replied, "and she said she'd come with, but I'm a little worried that Sloth might tag along with her. When it comes to being around guys, Lust and Sloth always tag team."

"The more the merrier." Roy grinned, and Ling slapped him on the back of the head.

"You straight guys are so perverted." He said, glaring at Roy. Roy glared right back.

"Guys, we're getting a little off topic." Envy said. At the word 'little', a vein in Edward's temple pulsed thickly.

"Who are you calling a speck of dust?" he yelled suddenly, making Envy jump in fright.

"He wasn't even talking to you." Ling pointed out. "You're so over-sensitive."

Edward stuck his tongue out at him.

He felt a slight pressure on his leg and looked down, seeing Ling's hand resting on his thigh. It made him feel a little strange, but not entirely unpleasant, so he didn't move away or tell Ling off.

"So what time are we going tomorrow?" Envy asked.

"Right after school ends." Edward answered. "We don't see a reason to wait."

Envy nodded, his gaze lingering on Edward for a fraction longer than necessary. This didn't go unnoticed by Edward, and he felt a light tingle in his stomach as his eyes connected with Envy's violet orbs. Something unspoken passed between them, and Envy looked away, a blush staining his pale cheeks.

"So are we going to hit the arcade first or just browse the shops?" Roy asked, oblivious to what was happening to Edward."

"Arcade." Ling said, "We can browse later, then maybe catch a movie."

Roy nodded. That sounds like a plan."

Edward nodded and stood up. "I've got to go to the bathroom. I'll catch you guys later."

They nodded, and Edward sauntered off casually. Casual was far from how he felt though. Having Ling put his hand on his leg was really strange, even though Edward liked it. He had thought, when they kissed, that Ling was just messing around, but now it seemed that Ling had other intentions.

Then there was Envy… Green hair, violet eyes, pale skin… He was beautiful. Edward didn't understand why, but there was something about Envy that captured his attention. Envy appeared to have an interest in him as well, but Edward didn't know if it was real, or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Poor Roy." He chuckled to himself as he pushed the bathroom door open. "He really is the only straight one."

He went over to a urinal and did his business, then went to a sink to wash his hands. As he was drying them, the bathroom door opened and Ling stepped in.

Edward jumped slightly, looking panicked.

"Ling, what are you doing here?"

Ling gave him an 'isn't it obvious?' look. "I came to use the bathroom, of course."

Edward nodded and started walking towards the door, but Ling grabbed his shoulder and pressed him to the wall.

"I didn't say what I wanted to use the bathroom for…" he whispered in Edward's ear, making the smaller boy shudder from his warm breath.

He captured Edward's lips in a gentle kiss, one that made the room seem to spin. It wasn't a greedy kiss, just something sweet and soft. When Ling bit down lightly on Edward's lower lip, Edward opened his mouth and allowed Ling's tongue in. Edward wrapped his arms around Ling's waist and pulled him closer, wanting more contact, but as he did so the door opened, revealing none other than Roy.

Edward and Ling jumped apart, looking guilty as sin.

"Shit." Ling muttered.

Roy just stood there, staring at the two boys like he had never seen them before. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

"Why is there only one boy's bathroom in this place anyway?" Ling mumbled.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Edward said, dashing out of the bathroom.

He sprinted down the corridors, and it didn't take long before he spotted Roy walking away.

"Roy!" Edward called out, coming to a skidding halt beside his friend.

Roy looked over at Edward sheepishly.

"Sorry about that." Roy said, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I just didn't know how to react. I was surprised."

Edward nodded.

"I didn't even know that you and Ling were dating."

"We're not, really." Edward admitted. "I don't know what's going on, to be honest."

Roy looked confused.

"Last Friday, Ling kissed me. I thought nothing of it. But now this… I don't know what's going on."

Roy nodded.

"Can you maybe not tell Envy?" Edward asked tentatively. "It's just, Ling and I aren't an item, we're just fooling around, and Envy…"

Roy laughed softly, understanding the problem. "You like Envy, huh?"

Edward blushed. "No, I don't. Or maybe I do. I don't know, Roy, but I think this thing with Ling better be kept quiet for now."

Roy nodded. "I understand. I've got to go; I'm going to be late for class. See you later!"

Edward watched as Roy walked away, and he could have sworn he heard him mutter, "I need some straight friends."

With a bemused smile, Edward wandered off towards his own class, which was philosophy. When he walked in, the first thing that he noticed was Envy sitting near the back of the class.

Abandoning his usual seat, Edward went to sit next to his green haired friend.

"Hey Envy." He greeted as he reached the back of the room.

"Hey Edward." Envy replied, smiling slightly. Their legs brushed against each other as Edward sat down and they made eyes contact, blushing and turning away quickly.

He glanced at Envy, who was still blushing, and smiled to himself. There was definitely something between them, but he wasn't sure what it was.

He didn't pay much attention in the class. He was so focused on Envy that he didn't even notice when Envy turned to him and asked to borrow a pencil. He blushed deeply and got a pencil out for him, handing it to him with shaky hands and earning a concerned glance from his green haired friend.

"Are you okay?" Envy asked as they left the class. Edward nodded, not looking at him.

"Don't lie, Edward." He said, taking Edward's hand. Instantly, the blush returned, and his palms became clammy and cold.

"I'm fine Envy." He muttered, furious at himself for his body's strange reaction.

"Hey guys." A cold sounding voice said. "Edward sick or something? I don't remember him ever holding hands with people."

Edward looked up and grimaced. It was Ling, and he was staring at their entwined hands like it was a particularly disgusting piece of trash.

"I was trying to find out what's wrong with him." Envy replied, and Edward was surprised at how venomous his voice sounded. "Here, you do it."

He released Edward's hand and stalked off, disappearing into the crowd of students. Edward felt a sting of loss and rejection as Envy vanished. He rounded on Ling, looking angry.

"What did you do that for, Ling?" he snapped.

Ling appraised him coldly. "Well if it's such a problem go after him."

Edward glared at him and left, running in the direction Envy went. Ling stood there, staring after him for a moment before running after him.

Edward heard Ling call him, but he ignored the boy. He focused on trying to find Envy, but no matter where he looked he couldn't find him.

"Damn it all." Edward said in frustration, hitting the wall. Ling came to a panting halt next to him.

"What the fuck, Edward?" Ling said.

"You didn't have to be so rude to him, Ling." Edward said, not looking at him. "He was just being nice. And I don't belong to you."

Ling took a step back. "I never said you did." He said quietly. "But that doesn't mean I don't wish you did."

Edward froze. "What do you mean?"

Ling rolled his black eyes. "Edward, are you really that dim? I like you, okay? I like you a lot."

Edward stared at him.

"Ling, I – I don't know what to say."

"Because you don't like me in that way?" Ling questioned.

Edward shook his head. "No, I do like you. It's just…" His eyes traveled up the corridor, searching in vain.

"You like Envy." Ling stated, catching on.

Edward sighed. "I don't know, Ling. I'm not sure. This is kinda new to me."

"I understand if you have a thing for Envy, Edward." Ling said quietly. "He's beautiful, and very unique. I'll admit that I'm a little taken with him myself. But I also know that I like you too much to not put up a fight, even if you do like him. ."

Edward scoffed. "I'm not property, you know. I don't belong to anyone."'

"All the same, I like you too much to not try."

Ling smiled at him and walked away, leaving Edward confused and upset.

_Envy P.O.V_

Envy stood in his bedroom, after successfully avoiding Edward and Ling for the rest of the day. He was still fuming about Ling's interruption, when Envy had been planning on asking Edward out. He had the perfect opportunity to lead Edward away from the other students and ask him, but thanks to Ling it all fell apart. And not only that, it was obvious that Ling had a liking for Edward too.

With an annoyed sigh, Envy threw himself down on his soft bed and buried his face in his pillows. He stayed like that for a few minutes before boredom set in, and he stood up. He went to his old silver stereo and put in some of his preferred music in, jamming his fingers against the buttons repeatedly until it started to play properly. Closing his eyes, he began to sway to the beat, allowing the pent up energy inside him to find some relief as he danced, and he did his best to not think. Thinking often led to trouble, and with his current anger for Ling, he would have exploded.

The real problem, of course was that he couldn't stay mad at Ling. He found Ling to be almost as alluring as Edward was, with his soft, Asian skin tone and black eyes. Ling's personality was magnetic, and he practically dripped sexiness. What frustrated Envy the most was that he was attracted to both boys, and he didn't really know which one he liked best.

With another sigh, he stopped dancing and pulled his shirt up over his head, and got down on the ground to do sit ups. Exercising usually helped to keep his mind clear, for a little while at least. The sun was setting by the time he had finished, and he assumed it was nearly time for dinner. Greed, Gluttony and Pride were coming home from college for a few days (they had said something about part of the building being damaged and the college undergoing repairs). Although the college they attended was nearby, only a fifteen minute drive, they stayed on campus most of the time. With them being home, as they rarely were lately, it would mean a stuffy family dinner. Envy disliked family get together things, since with a family as large as theirs people, namely Envy, always got over looked. One thanksgiving, about two years earlier, they had even forgotten to set a place at the table for him.

He trudged downstairs and into the ornately decorated dining room. The floors were covered in thick crimson carpets, and the curtains were a deep emerald, with all the furniture tasteful and expensive. The first thing Envy saw was Greed. The older boy smiled and waved, while Pride, who was behind him, merely nodded vaguely in his direction.

"Where's Gluttony?" Envy asked, noting the absence of their rotund sibling.

Greed rolled his eyes. "In the kitchen, where else?" he said. "You know, the way he always cooks, you'd think he would become a chef or something. But no, he goes off to become a teacher." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Maybe he plans to eat the children." Envy said jokingly, earning a chuckle from behind him. Looking around, he saw Lust and Sloth coming into the room.

"That's beneath you, Envy." Sloth said, primly sitting on an ornately carved armchair. Sloth had a demure and regal quality to the way she held herself, making anything she sat on seem like the most splendid throne. She was a little stuffy, however, and was always trying to mediate between her siblings.

Lust chuckled again. She was stunningly beautiful as she perched herself on the corner of the polished wood table, examining her fingernails.

Wrath, Gluttony and their mother, Dante, walked into the room, completing the get together. Their arms were laden with trays of food, delicately balanced precariously on top of one another.

"Thanks for helping out guys." Gluttony said in a slow drawl, rolling his eyes. "It's really appreciated."

Dante noticed where Lust was sitting and clicked her tongue.

"Tables are made for glasses." She said.

"Not for arses." Wrath chimed in, in a sing-song voice, completing an old rhyme they had learned when they were children.

"Wrath!" Dante said in a clipped, yet amused tone. "Mind your language."

Lust hopped off the table as Envy started taking trays from Dante, placing them carefully on the table.

They sat down around the table and began dishing food onto their plates; Gluttony and Dante had prepared a sumptuous meal of roasted pork and potatoes, with all the things that went with that.

"Itadakimasu." Envy said, something he had learned from the Japanese course he had been taking in his spare time. The others nodded vaguely, not quite sure whether he had just sworn at them or not.

After dinner, dessert was served (a Malva pudding decked out in fresh heated custard), and a conversation began to flow. There was nothing of real interest to be said, and Envy wasn't paying attention. His mind was on the outing to the mall with his new friends that would take place the next day.

He excused himself from the table early, pleading an aching stomach from eating too much, and paced his bedroom wearily, thinking.

Edward. Ling. Ling. Edward… Their names seemed to form a mantra in his mind, making him feel queasy. He didn't know what to do. It was obvious that he liked both of them, but as he had little to nothing to go on, not really knowing them well, he couldn't come to a conclusion. And it wasn't as if either boy had really shown much interest in him thus far, although there was definitely a slight spark between him and Edward. With Ling, there was an underlying hostility, a need to prove themselves and compete over some prize that Envy didn't even know existed. But he had seen Ling's gaze lingering on him during their lunch hours together. He had noticed Ling in some of his classes, occasionally turned in his seat to stare at Envy. And Edward… Yes, there was definitely something there, only he didn't know what, since he was not as obvious and confident as Ling was.

With a sigh, Envy rubbed his temples and sat on his bed. It was a little too much to think of in one night. He stripped down and got into bed, letting his eyes close, and he was instantly asleep.

Friday was slightly chilly, since autumn was fast approaching, so Envy had dressed himself in a pair of dark, faded jeans and a black jersey, with large black trainers encasing his feet. He draped a red silk scarf around his neck, allowing it to hang tastefully to one side, and looked in the mirror, pleased with his outfit. They arrived at school early, and Envy said bye to his siblings and went to join his friends under a large rowan tree in the courtyard. Edward was wearing black as well, with a red over coat that hung to his knees, and Envy couldn't help but notice that they matched.

"Are we still on for this afternoon?" Ling asked. He wore an oyster-grey button up shirt with dark blue jeans, and a Chinese looking necklace around his neck.

"I'm still in." Edward said. "What about you, Envy?"

Envy nodded. "Yeah, and so is Lust. Still no word about whether or not she's bringing Sloth though. Roy?"

Roy Mustang grinned like a Cheshire cat, meaning that while it seemed normal, there was an almost gleefully sinister look to it. "Of course I'm still in."

Envy's eyes traveled between Edward and Ling, still confused. Both boys were acting slightly strange since the scene in the hall yesterday, when Envy had been holding Edward's hand, but Envy had no idea of how to broach the subject of it.

He forced a smile onto his face and reclined against the tree, relaxing a little before school actually started.

When the bell finally rang, they left for their classes. The first one that Envy had that day was Calculus, with Roy, while Ling and Edward were headed off to Chemistry. Roy seemed oddly buoyant, and Envy couldn't understand why.

Roy was an odd one. Despite being the only straight male in the group, he was also the most flamboyant. While the others dressed mainly in darker, more subdued colors, Roy was the complete opposite. He was decked out in a pair of blue jeans and hoodie that was patterned of flames, with the bottom being canary yellow, fading into orange under his ribs, and turning into a bright red from mid-chest to the top. He was still grinning, and when Envy asked why he simply replied that it was a nice day. Envy frowned at this and looked out of a window as he passed it, noting the dark grey clouds that were forming overhead. It wasn't exactly what one would deem a 'nice day'.

Shrugging to himself, Envy made a mental note to keep a sharp eye on Roy when he was with Lust.

The day passed by quickly, and before Envy knew it the final bell had rung. The four of them had the last period class together, and as they packed their books into their bags, Ling spoke.

"So we're meeting at the mall in about half an hour, got it?"

They all nodded, slinging their bags onto their backs and muttering their farewells. Envy sped down the halls and into the parking lot, meeting up with his siblings at Sloth's car. Half an hour… With the way Lust procrastinated while doing her makeup, it would take them an hour at the very least.

_Edward P.O.V_

Edward stood at one of the mall's four entrances, looking utterly bored. He had dropped Alphonse at home and only darted in to grab his wallet before leaving again, meaning that he was a full fifteen minutes early.

He leaned against a concrete wall nonchalantly, glancing at the people passing by with a disdainful look. While he wasn't judgmental by nature, sometimes people just irritated him. Ten minutes passed before Ling and Roy arrived in Roy's bright red convertible, and he nodded in greeting.

"Is Envy not here yet?" Ling asked, looking around as though expecting Envy to step out from behind a potted plant.

"Not yet, no." Edward scowled. While he may not have been sure of what he felt about Ling or Envy, he didn't like the way that Ling seemed to be interested in Envy at all. Call it irrational jealousy, but Edward wanted to have Ling's attention as well as their greenish haired friend. Ro seemed to be rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet, anxiously awaiting the arrival of one, possibly two, of the hottest girls in their school, and Edward rolled his eyes. Sometimes Roy was a very simple being. That didn't stop Edward from looking up hopefully every time a car pulled into the parking lot, however. Maybe it wasn't just Roy then. They were all anxious to see someone that afternoon; it was just two different people.

Finally, arriving a good five minutes late, a black Mercedes stopped in a parking bay, and when the doors opened Envy and Lust got out. Roy didn't seem too disappointed that Sloth hadn't come with; in fact, he positively drooled at Lust. She was wearing a pair of tight pants and a black top that clung to her every curve, as well as knee-high boots with three inch heels. It was obvious that her name suited her, if her curvy hips and chest were anything to go by. Appropriate much?

Envy hadn't changed out of the outfit he had worn to school. His long hair, however, had been tied back in an attempt to control the unruly mass, with a few strands falling attractively into his violet eyes. Edward couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face as the two neared them.

"You made it." He said finally pushing himself off of the wall he had been reclining on.

"I said we would." Envy pointed out, stuffing his hands into his pocket and smiling. He smiled at Ling too, seemingly radiant at the prospect of being with the two of them. Roy was staring at Lust, words failing him. Envy noticed and had to stifle a laugh.

"Guys, this is my twin sister, Lust. Lust, these are Ling Xiao, Edward Elric, and Roy Mustang."

"Pleasure to meet you, Lust." Roy said suavely, extending a hand. Lust giggled and took his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." She replied, sounding like she had just stepped out of a cheesy Western movie from the 80's.

Edward rolled his eyes, grinning at Ling and Envy. Apparently, Roy and Lust were going to get along just fine.

"Let's go inside," Ling said. "It's damn cold out here."

"That's what you get for not bringing a sweater." Edward said, smirking. Ling ignored the jibe and did something that immediately set Edward's blood boiling.

He wrapped an arm around Envy's shoulders and began steering him into the mall.

He actually put his arm around him! The nerve of that guy, just doing that, and especially in front of Edward!

Fuming on the inside and barely in control of the emotions playing across his face, Edward followed them along with Lust and Roy, who were, for some reason, still holding hands. It made Edward feel alone and out of place.

"Where to first?" Envy asked, carefully sliding out from under Ling's arm. Ling didn't seem deterred. In fact, he was unfazed.

"Let's go see what's playing in the cinema." Roy suggested, and the others agreed. They headed off in the direction of the escalators, which would take them to the second floor, where the cinema was located. As they went, Edward walked rather close to Envy, their shoulders continually rubbing against one another. Envy blushed slightly every time it happened, and Edward smirked internally. Obviously, Envy was enjoying the slight, seemingly unintentional, contact. Ling was pretending not to notice, although after knowing him for a long time, Edward knew that this was riling his friend up slightly. Roy was completely oblivious to this, of course. He continued to converse with Lust, though she had definitely noticed that something odd was happening. Edward wasn't sure if she knew that Envy was gay, and he certainly didn't want to out his friend to his twin sister, but as they were twins, he suspected that if he hadn't told Lust, she probably knew any way. Still, it wouldn't do to be inappropriate in front of her, just in case. If there was inappropriate behavior to be had, it would most likely come from the overconfident Ling rather than Edward. While they waited in the line of the cinema, Edward surreptitiously rubbed his hand against Envy's making him jump slightly and look at Edward, with a definite question in his eyes. Edward smiled and did it again, only this time lighter. Envy's cheeks flushed a little, but he returned Edward's smile, albeit a little hesitantly. Edward looked over at Ling, who hadn't seen the exchange, and smirked. He may have liked Ling too, but right now they both seemed more interested in which of them Envy liked, so their feelings were put aside. And in the dark cinema, Edward planned to make his move. Unknown to him, however, that was precisely what Ling was planning.

Lust sighed mentally. Boys, whether they were gay or straight, were so clueless sometimes.

_**oOoOoOo**_

A/N: Longer chapter! Yay!

The rhyme that Wrath chanted, about tables being for glasses and not for arses, was actually taught to me by my mother when I was a little boy. Funny that I haven't thought about it for so long, but it came up now…

And for those who just did a double take and read that sentence twice, yes, I'm undeniably male.

Does anyone here understand my reference to the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland? The truth behind the real story (called 'Through The Looking Glass') is actually a much more sinister tale, the Cheshire cat being one of the more terrifying characters. He was far worse than shown in the childish tripe they portray him as in the kiddies movies. Go check it out some time and read up about the real story. It's quite something…

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I've started work on the next one, so the faster I get reviews, the sooner I'll update!

Ciao, Rekhyt.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: **_Full Metal Alchemist is not mine. Honestly, I'm not even Japanese for crying out loud… __

_**Warnings: **_Rated M for Yaoi, language, and mature themes.

_**Chapter 3**_

_Envy P.O.V_

After getting their movie tickets, they headed to one of the coffee shops. As they slid into one of the shop's small, yet cozy, booths, Envy still felt confused. Edward and Ling were hitting on him. Openly. And while he would admit that he liked it, it also confused him. From what Envy had seen, Ling seemed to like Edward, not him. And Edward… Well, he seemed to like them both, the same way that Envy liked both Ling and Edward. Could it be that Ling was in that same boat?

"Envy? Hello?"

Envy snapped himself out of his thoughts, turning to Ling, who was grinning broadly.

"There you are." Ling said. "What do you want?"

Envy noticed that the waiter was staring at him with a bored, faintly annoyed look, and Envy smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. I'll just have a cappuccino thanks."

The waiter scribbled the order down and left. Edward and Ling both laughed at Envy, who rolled his eyes.

"So I spaced out." He defended himself. "It happens."

Edward and Ling shrugged in a noncommittal way, and were about to let the matter drop, but Envy's twin had something else in mind.

"You don't space out." Lust said to him. "Except for times like this, when you're around guys that you think are hot."

Roy chuckled evilly at her side, enjoying watching Envy's face change color as he spluttered.

"What?" he choked out.

"Oh come now, En," Lust said with a faint smile, "Edward and Ling are the type of guys you're attracted to. It's so obvious. So, which one do you like, huh?"

Roy smirked. "Tell us, Envy, which one?"

Envy looked pleadingly at Edward and Ling for support, but they were both watching him closely, waiting for his answer.

"Fucking bitch," Envy hissed at his sister. "How would you know if they're my type? I never even told you I was gay."

Lust gave him a chilling look. "I'm your twin sister, you idiot. You didn't say it, but I'd have to be brain dead to not notice. I know you, Envy."

Envy's mouth opened and closed like a fish, trying to speak, but the words were stuck in his throat.

"Sloth guessed it too." Lust informed him, making it even worse.

Envy regained his composure and leaned back against his chair, staring coolly at Lust. "Well, I'm glad you two were smart enough to realize. But since the question is rather private, and doesn't pertain to you or Roy, I'm not going to answer it. That would be between Edward, Ling and I."

Envy was rather impressed by his reply, and felt smug when Lust shrugged. However, he hadn't considered the implications of his words…

"Then I think the three of us need to have a talk some time." Ling said under his breath.

"I agree." Edward added.

'_Oh fuck…'_ Envy thought, feeling stupid. Now he would have to do some explaining. But then again, he was still sure that there was something between Edward and Ling as well, and Envy was dying to know what that was.

He took a sip of his cappuccino and stared out of a window as Roy began to ask Lust questions about herself.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked Envy quietly.

Envy gave a half shrug. "Nothing much. I'm just spacing out again."

Ling grinned. "Because you have two hot guys with you?"

Envy tried his best to glare. "No, because your ego was taking up too much space again, Ling."

Edward laughed, and Ling grinned even wider.

"My ego is well deserved, Envy." He said haughtily, making Edward laugh harder.

"Ling's just the town tramp." Edward said, cuffing Ling on the head. "I think he's slept with more than half the guys in town."

Ling glared at him fiercely, making Envy cringe.

"That was low, Edward." Ling growled out.

"You know as well as I do that it's true, Ling."

"I won't say if it is or isn't, but do you have to tell other people that kind of thing about me?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Chill out, Ling. It's just a joke."

Ling didn't look convinced, but he said nothing more about it. Envy chanced a glance at Edward, who had a slight smile playing on his lips, and frowned thoughtfully. Obviously, Edward had won that exchange.

Envy drained the last dredges of his cappuccino and glanced at his watch. They still had two hours before their movie was due to start, and they could only stay in the coffee shop for so long before boredom would inevitably set in.

"Where are we going to head next?" Ling asked, almost as if he had read Envy's mind.

"Let's show the twins around, shall we?" Roy suggested. "They're new in town, after all."

Edward and Ling nodded, an odd glint in their eyes. Envy couldn't help but cringe internally at what ever they were planning.

Over the next hour, Envy and Lust were dragged back and forth through the mall, despite many complaints and a lot of eye rolling. Eventually, they found themselves in a popular clothing shop. Ling and Edward were browsing the racks while Lust was in the changing rooms, so Envy found himself keeping Roy company.

"I can't believe I thought Edward was straight." Roy muttered as Edward examined a pink shirt. "The way he shops, I should have known."

"And you're any better?" Envy asked with a raised eyebrow. "From what I've heard, you're way worse than Edward."

Roy grinned sheepishly and muttered something vague.

"Do you dislike that Edward is gay?"

Roy shook his head. "Not at all. I support him fully, as long as he avoids Ling."

Envy looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong with Ling?"

"Nothing's wrong with him. It's just that he and Edward have been friends for a very long time, ya know? If they got together and broke up, things would never be the same. It'd destroy them both."

"And me?" Envy found himself asking, making Roy smirk.

"You, Envy, can have your pick of either of them." He said. "Just as long as no one gets hurt by it."

Envy looked over to where Edward and Ling were standing, apparently arguing over a shirt, and sighed deeply.

"What if one gets hurt because I like the other?"

Roy shrugged. "That's life, Envy. With that, someone will always get hurt. But it's a hurt that can heal quickly."

Envy nodded cast his mind around, trying to find a way to change the subject.

"Lust really likes you." He blurted, making Roy turn dark red instantly.

"She does?" he stammered with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"

Envy smiled. "I know my sister very well, Roy. She definitely likes you."

A wide, goofy grin split Roy's face, making Envy chuckle.

_Edward P.O.V_

Edward stood facing Ling over a rack of shirts, his mind framing insults as Ling spoke.

"I don't see what the problem is, Edward." He said. "We both like Envy, and we both like each other, so stop getting so worked up every time I so much as look at him."

Edward swore at him, making Ling grin.

"Do you really get that jealous? You want all of my attention on you instead?"

Edward felt his cheeks grow warmer. "No! I mean, no one has decided anything, have they?"

Ling shrugged. "True. So I guess the game continues then."

"You see this as a game?"

"Of course. Life is all one big game, and it all comes down to who can play it better."

Edward shook his head slowly. "It's not a game, Ling. This is the real world, and people get hurt here."

Ling shrugged again, making Edward's blood boil with anger.

"Fine, Ling." He said with a fake smile. "Game on."

Before Ling could reply, Roy came bounding up to them.

"Hey guys," Roy said, grinning like an idiot, "Let's get going. Our movie is going to start soon, and we still need to buy snacks."

Edward was still glaring at Ling, who was staring coolly back.

"Whatever." Roy said with a shrug. "Envy, Lust and I are going. When you girls are done having your squabble, you can catch up with us."

He turned and stormed off, making Edward feel a little guilty.

"Come on." He muttered to Ling, following Roy out of the store.

"I'll meet you guys there." Ling said. "I've got something to do first."

Edward shrugged as Ling walked away in the opposite direction, a mixture of curiosity and indifference making him feel incredibly confused.

"Bloody Ling…" he muttered, heading in the direction of the movie theater.

He caught up with Roy and the twins in the queue to buy food, Envy bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly while Roy looked utterly terrified.

Raising an eyebrow at the greenish-black haired boy, he turned to Lust for an explanation.

"The idea of sugar gets Envy worked up." Lust explained with a small smile.

"So what happens when he actually _eats _something sugary?" Roy asked.

Lust grinned. "Generally, he goes on a rampage, completely overdoes it, and falls asleep."

Edward chuckled, not really believing her. How wrong he was…

After a box of mini Oreos, two chocolates, and a jumbo soda, Envy became hyperactive and got them kicked out of the cinema. Once out, he weaved effortlessly through the crowd and vanished from sight, with Edward, Lust and Roy trying hopelessly to keep up with him. In his sugar induced state, he escaped easily.

He did, however, leave a wide trail of destruction for them to follow, consisting of a vast number of candy wrappers, many people that had been knocked over or into other objects, upturned racks and stands, and one broken window. While Lust hung back to deal with the owner of said window, Edward and Roy continued their search. Thankfully, it didn't take them much longer to find him.

Inside of a gift shop, a confused and scared manager pointed a shaky finger toward the back of the room, mumbling something about a monster. They went to the far reaches of the shop, expecting to find Envy destroying something, but instead they found him curled up next to a magazine rack, fast asleep. Altogether, he looked rather cute.

Carefully lifting Envy into his arms, Edward carried him from the store while Roy apologized to the manager, all the while with a wide grin plastered on his face.

Edward found Lust and Ling waiting for him outside the store, and once Roy rejoined them, they headed for the parking lot.

"Slippery little bastard, isn't he?" Roy commented to Lust, who laughed softly.

"He's normally a good kid. But when he's had sugar…"

"Hey," Ling said, "since you're his twin, if you had too much sugar, would you…"

Lust smiled mysteriously. "I'm worse than him."

Ling's eyes went wide. "Good luck, Roy."

Roy looked worried. "You're not craving sweets, are you Lust?"

Lust laughed and shook her head. "Not at all. Right now, I'm trying to think of what to do with my twin."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

"Our mother might not be too thrilled with Envy if he comes home comatose like this. I doubt she'd get too mad, but I'd rather not risk it. She might not let him come out with you guys again."

"That'd suck." Ling said blandly.

"He can spend the night at my place." Edward offered. "Alphonse and I live alone, and I have a spare room he can use."

Lust beamed at him. "That's perfect. If I tell mother that Envy's spending the night at a friend, she'll be thrilled. He didn't have many friends in our old school."

Edward frowned, but decided that he'd ask Envy about that some other time.

"Cold you maybe get some clothing for him?" he asked, and Lust nodded.

"Sure. Just follow me to my place and I'll run in, then I'll follow you to yours, so I know where to pick Envy up again."

Edward smiled. "Alright. Let's go."

The drive was fast, and before he knew it, Lust had pulled into the driveway of a very large house. Edward parked on the sidewalk outside, not wanting to seem suspicious, but Envy was out of sight, curled up on the back seat. Fervently, he prayed that Lust would be quick about it, and thankfully it was only a few minutes before her black Mercedes came rolling out of the driveway again. She signaled for Edward to take the lead, and soon they were driving again.

It turned out that Envy lived only a few blocks from where Edward stayed, so it drive was over almost as soon as it had begun. Lust helped Edward get Envy to the front door and held her sleeping twin up while Edward fumbled for his keys, but before he could get them the door opened, revealing Roy and Ling.

"We figured that you might want some help with sleeping beauty there." Ling said to Lust. "We didn't want the dwarf overexerting himself."

A vein twitched on Edward's forehead. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING –"

"Roy covered Edward's mouth with a hand and glared at him. "Be quiet, you dolt. You're gonna wake him up!"

Lust looked at them, completely bewildered, but let the incident pass without comment.

"Do you want to come in for a while?" Edward asked Lust, pulling Roy's hand away. "I promise that we'll control Roy."

Lust giggled. "Sure, that would be nice."

Edward and Ling left Lust with Roy and carried Envy to the guest room, grunting slightly.

"Geez, for a small guy, he sure does weigh a lot." Ling commented.

"I'm not small!" Edward immediately shot back, but thankfully he kept his voice down this time.

Ling rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking about you, Edward."

Once they had deposited Envy in the bed and tucked him in, they returned to the living room, where they found Alphonse in discussion with Roy.

"I thought you two would have learned not to leave Roy alone with a female." Edward's younger brother commented with a grin, making Roy scowl.

"Come on, Roy isn't that bad." Lust said with a chuckle. "He was being a perfect gentleman."

Ling raised an eyebrow, but a look from Roy silenced him.

"Hey Al." Edward greeted. "We have a friend over, so try to keep the noise level down. He's busy sleeping."

"This early?" Alphonse said in confusion. "Did something happen?"

"Sugar overdose." Lust explained. "My brother has a sugar problem."

"One that I'd like to never see again." Edward remarked with a shudder. "That was terrifying."

They laughed quietly at that and settled down onto the soft, mismatched couches, talking about random things until it was time for the others to leave.

"Oh, Edward." Lust said. "I almost forgot. Here's Envy's clothes. I wasn't sure if he'd be here for one night or the whole weekend, so I packed enough for both, just in case."

Edward nodded. "That's entirely up to him. I enjoy having company. Speaking of which, you're welcome to come over at any time as well, Lust. I'm sure that Roy here would enjoy your presence."

She smiled. "I might just take you up on that offer. Besides, I'm sure Envy will be here a lot too, and I'm seldom far from him."

"Creepy twin connection thing?" Ling asked as they headed out the door.

"Something like that, yes."

After bidding his friends farewell, Edward closed the door and sighed. He snuck to the guest room and peeked inside, making sure Envy was still alright, before heading to the kitchen to make coffee. He leaned against the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil, when Ling popped his head up outside the kitchen window, scaring Edward half to death.

"Shit, Ling!" he panted. "Don't do that to me!"

Ling grinned. "Sorry, Ed. Just wanted to make sure you're gonna be alright for the night."

Edward frowned. "Why wouldn't I be? Envy is asleep, Al is never any trouble, and I can look after myself."

Ling winked. "I know. Just don't molest Envy in his sleep, alright?"

Edward turned red and marched toward the window, intending to slam it shut. Before he could, however, Ling's face became serious.

"One more thing, Edward…" he said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't try to reach the top shelf, you'll only get depressed!"

And with that, Ling ran off into the distance, with Edward yelling curses after him.

"What's all the shouting about?" Envy asked, rubbing his eyes as he came into the kitchen. "I heard voices yelling in here, and I'm not even sure where 'here' is."

Edward grimaced. "I'm sorry Envy, I didn't mean to wake you. And about where you are, you're at my place. Lust thought it would be better if you didn't go home unconscious, so I offered to let you sleep here."

Envy took a moment to digest that. "Your place? So I'm not in some secret sex dungeon?"

Edward chuckled. Envy was still half asleep. "No. No sex dungeon."

"Damn, that's a pity." Envy stated with a yawn. "I'm gonna go back to sleep."

And with that, he shuffled back out of the room, colliding with the doorframe as he did so.

Edward stared after him, more than a little amused by his friend's sleepy comments.

"Sex dungeon, huh?" he said to himself. "I guess Envy didn't realize what he was saying, poor guy."

But the image stuck in his mind, making him giggle. Sex dungeon… If he ever landed up dating Envy, as a part of him hoped, he would have to keep that one in mind. Maybe not as a real idea, but at least as something to mock the green-haired boy with.

_**XXXXX**_

A/N: I apologize for the long wait for an update, but as those of you who read my profile page saw, I've had no access to the internet in a while, so I couldn't update. Hopefully that problem is over now, so I'll try to update more frequently. Remember, I love reviews; they inspire me to write faster. And PM me if I'm not updating fast enough, it definitely makes me kick my lazy ass into gear.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, stay tuned for more.

000 Rekhyt 000


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: **_*Disclaims* I don't friggin' own FMA! There! Are you happy now? *sobs*

_**Warnings: **_Rated M for Yaoi, language, and mature themes.

**This chapter is dedicated to Reasonfalling. Thanks for the review!**

_**Chapter 4**_

_Edward P.O.V_

Edward yawned and rubbed at his eyes, blinking up at the puffy white clouds. He was sitting in his back yard, reading his favorite novel and enjoying some time alone. Scratching the back of his neck, he closed his eyes and smiled, feeling the warmth of the sun on his pale skin.

There was a slight shift in the air behind him, making him realize for the first time that he was not, as he had thought, alone. He turned around, only to find his face an inch or so from Ling's.

"Hey Edward." Ling purred. Edward's eyes traveled down and noticed that Ling wasn't wearing a shirt, and a single bead of sweat was running down his chest. A slight murmur to his left indicated another presence, and Edward saw that it was none other than Envy, also shirtless. His slim, pale body reflected the sunlight in an appealing manner.

"I wasn't done with you, Ling." Envy said in a low, seductive tone. He wrapped an arm around Ling's neck and smashed their lips together. From Edward's position, he could clearly see their tongues battling for dominance.

Envy's other arm reached out and drew Edward's face closer, until he was a part of that passionate kiss. He felt two tongues gliding over his own as Ling slipped a hand under Edward's shirt, running his fingertips down his body. Edward moaned into the kiss, feeling Ling's hand slide into his pants. There was a momentary pause, then Ling reached in further and –

Edward jerked awake, panting and cover in a thin sheen of sweat. It was a dream. Just a stupid dream. Yet his body was having a very real reaction to that dream. Edward frowned at the tent in his pants, deciding that it would be best to take a long, ice cold shower immediately. He stood from his bed and walked over to the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom, climbing into the shower and turning it on.

It took a supreme effort of will to keep himself from screaming as the first jets of cold water hit his warm skin, his erection forgotten instantly. He stepped out of the shower and pulled on the first clean clothing he found, wondering if Al had started making breakfast yet. He was halfway to the door before he remembered that Envy was still there, probably fast asleep. Edward grinned and bounded down the stairs, but as he passed the kitchen he caught a glimpse of greenish black hair. Popping his head through the door, he saw Envy sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Edward." Envy greeted groggily.

"Morning Envy. Hey Al."

Alphonse merely nodded in his direction before turning back to the stove.

"How did you sleep?" Edward asked, going over to the kettle and flipping it on.

"Like hell." Envy replied. "All the sugar…"

Edward laughed slightly. "You really do have a problem, don't you?"

Envy grunted in response. "Thanks for letting me sleep here last night. And thanks for getting some of my clothes for me."

"Thank Lust for the clothing." Edward replied. "And you're welcome. Actually, Lust packed enough clothing for you to stay here again tonight. That is, if you want to…"

Envy smiled. "That'd be great. I don't remember anything that happened after the cinema yesterday."

Edward grinned. "Great! We can go rent some movies later, and get some junk food."

Envy winced. "I'll stick to some soda. Junk food isn't a good idea."

Al frowned at him. "It can't have been that bad."

Edward grimaced. "You would have to see it for yourself. It was terrifying. He got us kicked out of the cinema, ran into a bunch of people, smashed a window, destroyed a gift shop…"

Al's eyes widened, and he gave Envy a shocked look. "But, he's…"

"Yup. A green haired monster." Edward commented with a grin.

"As opposed to a blond psycho midget?" Envy asked with a smirk.

"I'm not a midget!"

"Guy's," Al said, you're getting a little off topic."

"I'm not little!"

Envy backed away slightly. "Dude, what's with the short fuse?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING TOO SHORT TO RIDE ON A FERRIS WHEEL?"

Al quietly slipped out of the kitchen, while Envy stared at Edward in shock. "Um, okay…?"

Edward grunted and put his head on the table.

"You're all against me."

After breakfast, they climbed into Edward's car and drove off to the video store. The drive was short and uneventful, but Edward found his eyes straying to Envy every few seconds. The sunlight was shining on Envy's pale skin, almost like it had in his dream, and it was with extreme difficulty that he pulled his mind away from that image. His eyes slowly found their way back to Envy, watching as he let out a deep breath and brushed his long hair out of his violet eyes.

"Edward!" Envy suddenly yelled, and Edward snapped his eyes back to the road, swerving just in time to miss hitting the sidewalk.

"Geez, are you trying to kill us?" Envy panted.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a second there." Edward apologized, shaking his head.

Envy rolled his eyes and shook his head, and Edward grinned to himself. He really needed to get a grip on himself.

_Envy P.O.V_

A few short hours later, Envy was sitting with Edward watching TV, noticing that the blond boy was sitting rather close to him. With every few minutes, Edward got a little closer to him, and his hand was hovering only a few inches away from Envy's leg.

Envy coughed lightly. "Something wrong with your chair, Edward?"

Edward blinked, realizing that his face was incredibly close to Envy's. "Oh, um, sorry… I guess I, um, you know… slipped?"

Envy smirked, feeling his confidence suddenly build. He leaned a little closer to Edward and whispered, "Want to slip a little more?"

He saw Edward flush a little and begin to inch closer, but at that moment he heard the front door open, accompanied by Ling's voice yelling, "What's up, bitches!"

"Damn Ling." Edward muttered, getting up and heading out of the living room. Envy breathed out heavily, closing his eyes for a moment. He could hardly believe what had almost just happened. Where did that sudden confidence come from? And why was Ling so determined to stop him at every turn?

A second or so later, Edward reentered the room with Ling close behind him.

"Hey Envy." Ling greeted, wearing his trademark shit-eating grin.

"Ling." Envy said rather abruptly, giving a curt nod. Ling frowned at the rude greeting, but let it slide.

"So what are we going to do today?"

"We got some movies." Edward said in a robotic tone. "We were just going to hang out here for the day and watch."

"Cool." Ling said, hoping onto the couch and positioning himself as far from Envy as possible. Envy raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"What are we watching first?" he asked Edward.

"I figured we'd watch this one." Edward said, pulling one out from the stack and handing it to Envy.

"Saw 8?" Envy asked in surprise. "They're still making these?"

"Hey, that series is a classic!" Edward protested.

Envy smirked. "It's predictable. You can always tell what's going to happen."

"Oh?" Ling inquired.

Envy grinned. "Oh no, I'm not going to ruin the movie for you two. Just put the damn thing on."

Edward smirked at Envy and slipped the DVD into the player before curling up on the couch.

During the movie, which Envy found boring, he examined both Edward and Ling. Ling seemed relaxed and unfazed by the carnage on the screen, while Edward was chewing his nails off, jumping at every new scene that presented itself. Envy bit back a laugh as Edward jumped so badly that he nearly fell off the couch.

When the credits finally came up, Envy stretched and yawned.

"Predictable." He commented. "And once again, there was no conclusive ending, leaving an opening for yet another movie."

"So what would be a conclusive ending?" Ling asked.

"Jigsaw should end up trapped in one of his contraptions." Envy stated. "He should be at the mercy of his own twisted mind, before meeting the same end as all of his victims."

"But that would ruin the movie." Edward said, still clutching the couch like a lifeline.

"It would be a good ending, though." Ling admitted.

"What's next?" Edward asked, lifting up two movies.

Envy looked between the two, followed by a glance through the open window.

"Why don't we take a break fro the movies and go outside for a while?"

"Where do you have in mind?" Edward asked.

"I don't know." Envy admitted. "I only just moved here, remember?"

"What about the park?" Ling asked, and Edward nodded in agreement.

"I'll be right back," Envy said, dashing out of the room. He sprinted to the guest room he was staying in and quickly pulled on a fresh set of clothing, before rejoining his friends.

They walked out of the house and piled into Edward's car.

"Where's your car, Ling?" Edward asked as he turned the key in the ignition.

Ling shrugged. "I walked here this morning. Needed to clear my head."

Envy saw Edward give Ling an odd look, but they didn't say any more about it as they pulled out and began the drive. They stopped off at a shop to buy snacks and arrived at the park shortly after, going to a patch of grass near a stream and settling down.

"This is nice." Envy commented, looking around at the trees that dotted the park and the clear blue stream that ran down the center. There were kids running and laughing, jumping into the stream and playing on the playground.

"I don't like kids." Ling said, glaring at the kids.

"Ignore Ling." Edward said. "His little sister is a monster, so he thinks that all kids are evil."

"They are." Ling snapped.

"Are not." Edward retorted.

"Are."

"Okay, I get it!" Envy said with a laugh. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and stretched out on the grass, yawning quietly.

He stared up at the puffy clouds that were making their sluggish way across the sky, hoping that it would rain. He had always been more partial toward rainy weather.

"So what's going on at your house?" Edward suddenly asked Ling, his tone quiet and serious. Ling sighed softly and looked away.

"What's always going on at my house?" Ling asked bitterly, throwing a stick into the stream. "They're fighting again. Mei went out for the weekend, so I'm dealing with it alone."

Edward sighed.

"Why don't you come over to Edward's for the night?" Envy asked. "If that's okay with you, of course." He added, looking at Edward.

"That's fine by me." Edward said. "How about it, Ling?"

Ling smiled. "Thanks guys. I don't want to be at home tonight."

Ling sighed again, throwing another stick. "I hate that place. I can't wait to get out of there. Just two more years and I'm done with school, then I'm leaving."

"What are you going to do after school?" Envy asked.

"Law." Ling replied. "My uncle is a lawyer, so he's sending me to law school as son as I'm done."

Envy nodded. "What about you, Edward?"

Edward shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. I was thinking about becoming a chef."

A huge grin split Ling's face. "Then you'd be a small fry."

"I'M NOT SMALL!"

Several kids jumped in fright and looked over at them, making Edward blush.

"What about you, Envy?" Ling asked.

Envy tapped his chin thoughtfully. Truth be told, he had always wanted to go into theater, but there was little chance that his mother would ever allow that. She had visions of Envy going into a medical career, or some sort of science, but Envy's grades in that department were dismal. What he wanted was a career in the limelight, like acting or singing. Hell, even modeling would've been fine, but Dante was adamant that all her children would go into professions that would pull in a lot of money. Sure, acting and singing could make money, and a great deal of it, but it was an unstable thing. You never know if it would even take off, and if it did, you could fall out of the limelight very fast.

"Earth to Envy… Hello…?"

Envy shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, what?"

"I asked what career you wanted to go into, and you kinda spaced out."

"Um, I don't know yet." Envy mumbled. "I guess I'll decide after school."

"Well, that gives you two years to figure it out." Edward said. "Plenty of time."

Ling frowned. "Plenty of time? Edward, he has to figure it out, start applying to universities, maybe get an internship, depending on what he decides… That's a lot to do. The sooner you figure these things out, the easier it would be."

Envy felt slightly nauseas. "Ling, you're making me feel ill. Can we not talk about this?"

Edward shot Ling an accusatory glare. "Yeah, let's change the subject."

Over the next hour, they spoke about a dozen lighter topics, thankfully steering clear of the future. Envy fell into an easy sort of familiarity with the two boys as they spoke, enjoying listening as his two friends would occasionally bicker and mock fight, escalating into a wrestling match, which Ling won easily.

"Unfair advantage." Edward muttered, dusting his clothing off.

""Why, because I'm taller?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING TOO SHORT TO RIDE A HORSE?"

Envy blinked. "Ride a horse? Gee, Edward, you must be running low on comebacks."

Edward pouted and stalked off to his car. Envy and Ling followed, both roaring with laughter.

They made a quick detour to Ling's house on their way home, so that he could grab a bag of clothing, then returned to Edward's home. Alphonse was nowhere in sight when they entered, and Edward found a note taped to the fridge saying that he had gone to a friend for the night, and that they should order pizza.

"Why don't you cook?" Envy asked.

"I can't cook." Edward admitted, handing the others a glass of water and grabbing one for himself. "Last time I cooked, I nearly burned down the kitchen."

Ling chuckled. "It's a good thing that your brother went out." He said, reaching into his bag, "Because I don't think he'd be able to handle this."

In Ling's hand was an X-rated movie. Envy choked momentarily, while Edward's face went blood red.

"Ling, where did you get that?"

Ling shrugged. "I pinched it from my dad. He has so much porn, I doubt he'll even notice that it's gone."

Envy rolled his eyes. "Ling, you realize that the three of us are gay, right? Why would we want to watch straight porn?"

"A guy and a _girl_?" Edward asked in revulsion. "That's just disgusting."

Ling frowned at the other two. "It may be straight, but there are some really hot guys in this movie. And they're hung like horses."

Envy choked on his water again.

"And you would know, Ling?" he asked with a sly grin.

Ling smiled lazily. "I've watched it before."

"I meant about the horse part."

"Oh god no! That's just gross, Envy."

Edward chuckled. "Let's go carry on with the movies." He suggested. "We'll see afterwards if we're going to watch your one."

After another two movies, the three boys were still wide awake. The sun had set a long time ago, and they were curled up on the couch under blankets.

Envy turned his head as Edward sighed. Ling gave a triumphant smile.

"Alright, Ling. Hand it over."

Ling handed Edward his movie and settled back on the couch.

Edward paused as he was about to put the movie in. "I swear, Ling, you had better keep it in your pants."

"Of course." Ling promised. "I won't do anything that you guys wouldn't beg for."

Envy gave him a deadpan stare.

Edward pushed the disk into the player and jumped back onto the couch. The lights were off, and they could only see silhouettes of each other once the movie started.

"…"

"Spoons were not made for that…"

"I agree."

"…"

"That was disturbing."

"Yeah. I didn't think people could twist like that."

"…"

"Edward?"

"I think I'm going to be sick!"

Envy watched as Edward sped off to the bathroom, while Ling chuckled.

"That was unexpected."

"That whole movie was unexpected." Envy argued.

"Not the movie. I mean Edward's reaction."

"It's understandable." Envy said dryly. "That part with the vacuum was pretty much wrong on every level."

Ling shuddered. "I see your point. Right, no more straight porn."

"Ever." Edward said as he reentered the room. "Never again, Ling."

"I thought you said you had seen it before." Envy commented.

Ling shook his head. "I must have grabbed the wrong one."

He shuddered again and pulled his blanket tighter around himself.

"Why dies your dad even have that?"

Envy shook his head vehemently. "I don't wanna know!"

"Your dad's a pervert, Ling." Edward commented.

"I can't argue that."

Envy took a deep breath, which turned into a yawn very quickly.

"I think I'm going to go to bed." He said. "I'm bushed."

Bidding the other two good night, he walked down to the guest bedroom and climbed into the bed. Thankfully he'd be alone, since Ling was going to sleep on the couch.

Sighing in the darkness, he clutched the blankets to his chest. The day had been uneventful, really, but pleasant. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, aside from Ling's father's bad taste in X-rated films, and there hadn't been any of the competitive awkwardness that there usually was when the three of them were together. In fact, the entire day had felt like just three friends hanging out.

Envy's eyes opened suddenly.

The day hadn't been ordinary at all. With the mind numbing television, and disturbing porn, Envy hadn't really had time to think about what had happened that morning.

Edward had tried to kiss him.

More than that, he had practically invited Edward to do it.

"Holy shit…" Envy muttered.

Wide awake again, he wondered to himself what had come over him. As much as he did like Edward, he wasn't sure if really did want him in that way, since he was equally attracted to Ling.

"Probably just a stupid little crush." He muttered to himself, turning over and going to sleep. In his dreams, at least, he didn't have trouble with Edward and Ling.

_**XXX**_

A/N: Just a filler chapter. Next chapter is in progress, so it should be up soon.

Lord R.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **_*Disclaims*

_**Warnings: **_*Warns*

_**A/N: **_*Utters apologies*

_**Chapter 5**_

_Envy P.O.V_

Envy yawned and stretched, looking out the large windows that lined one side of the classroom. The rest of the weekend had passed without incident, and they were back at school again. Envy sat next to his twin while Mrs. Curtis droned on about something, not paying much attention. Lust frowned at him, pursing her lips in a disapproving manner, to which Envy merely grinned infuriatingly. Mrs. Curtis noticed this and glared at Envy, but he ignored her and stared out the window uncaringly.

When the bell rang, Mrs. Curtis dismissed them with a wave, but gave Envy another pointed glare. As he passed her, she muttered something under her breath about failing her class.

"Glad that's over." Envy commented to Lust when they were in the hallway.

Lust shook her head, resisting the urge to hit her brother. "You need to pay more attention, Envy. I'm not going to let you copy my notes this year."

Envy's face fell. "What? Why not?"

"Because it's about time you do your own work!" Lust said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away. Envy swore under his breath and stalked off to his next class, furious with his twin. When he got to his science class, he flopped down into his chair, which was next to Ling.

"Hey Envy." Ling said with a broad, infectious grin. "What are you doing after school today?"

Envy muttered something vague.

"What was that?" Ling asked, leaning closer. "I couldn't hear."

"Nothing, why?"

"Well, I've got the house to myself for the day, since my parents are out of town and Mei is at a friend, so I wanted to know if you, Roy and Edward wanted to come over for the afternoon."

Envy's mood brightened at that. "Sure. That sounds like a great idea. I'll just have to call my mom and let her know."

Ling grinned, but it wasn't his usual carefree grin. This grin was more calculated, and it made Envy wonder what was going through the boy's mind.

After class that class they had break, during which Envy called his mother to let her know that he would be home late. Dante didn't mind, but she warned him to be home before curfew or risk being grounded for a month. When Envy joined his friends at their table,

He found Ling staring off into space while Edward was looking rather pissed off.

"What's up?" he asked Edward as he sat down, ignoring the noise of the cafeteria.

"Edward can't come over today, unfortunately." Ling said. "He has to study for a test tomorrow."

Envy sighed sympathetically. "That sucks. Sorry dude."

"It's fine." Edward said gruffly, indicating that it was far from 'fine'.

"What about you, Roy?" Envy asked.

"Can't." Roy replied. "I'm working this afternoon at the café. Sorry."

Envy heard Edward growl softly.

"Guess it's just us then." Ling said. "Unless you'd rather we did it some time when the others can join us."

"No, no." Envy said quickly, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings. "I'll come over today. It'll be fun."

"Great!" Ling exclaimed. "I'll drive you home again after, so you don't need to ask your sister to do it."

"Great, thanks Ling." Envy replied, making a mental note to get a car of his own. Having always been close to Lust, their mother had only bought one car for them to share. Envy had let Lust have control of the car, and it had unofficially become hers.

The bell rang again, signaling the end of break, and they all stood to eave, but Edward hung back.

"You guys go ahead." He muttered. "I'll catch up with you."

"Me too." Envy said, wanting to know what was wrong with his short friend.

Once the others had left, Envy rounded on his friend.

"Okay, spill." He said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Edward said defensively. "Why would something be going on?"

Envy crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't believe you, shrimp."

Edward's brow twitched violently.

"I'm not a shrimp!" he yelled, drawing several odd looks from the people passing by.

"Then tell me why you're so upset."

Edward growled again, his eyes downcast. "It's nothing. I'm just being insecure, is all. Don't worry about it."

"Insecure about what?" Envy inquired, leaning on the table. The warning bell sounded, and Edward jumped, knowing that class started in two minutes.

"Crap, we're late."

Envy sighed. "Yeah."

The taller boy began to walk, but Edward grabbed his hand and held him back.

"Let's just cut class." He said, sounding positively petrified at the idea of doing such a thing.

"You sure about that?"

"Do you want me to open up to you or not?" Edward demanded, and Envy grinned.

"Right. Cutting class, then. Do you know any good spots?"

Edward nodded once and began to lead Envy from the cafeteria. They first went to Edward's locker, from which he pulled an umbrella, then they headed out of a side door and into the school grounds.

They walked for several long minutes under a dark grey sky, eventually coming to a stop behind one of the school buildings.

"You sure it's safe to be here?" Envy asked, watching Edward prop his umbrella. Edward just nodded, looking away from his friend.

"Hey, talk to me, Edo." Envy said.

"Edo?" Edward asked, looking perplexed.

"It's that or Eddy." Envy deadpanned.

Edward winced slightly. "Edo works."

For a long moment neither of them spoke. Eventually Edward's honey colored eyes found Envy's violet ones, and he sighed.

"I'm worried about you, Envy." He said.

"Me?" Envy asked in confusion. "Why?"

For a fleeting moment, a war seemed to take place in Edward's eyes, as if he was conflicted. Then he sighed again.

"Because of Ling's parents." He said lamely, and Envy knew he was lying. "They aren't the nicest of people, and if they come home while you're still there, without Roy and I, there might be some trouble."

Envy frowned, not entirely convinced. "Ling said they were out of town. I don't think he's expecting them home any time soon. And besides, I can take care for myself Edward. You don't need to worry."

"They're out of town?" Edward asked. "Oh. Well, then I guess I'm worrying about nothing then."

A flash of light ripped through the air, followed by a loud crack of thunder as it stared to rain heavily. Edward grabbed his umbrella and opened it, pulling Envy underneath as well. The umbrella was rather small, however, and their torsos were practically pressed together in the cramped space.

"Sorry." Edward murmured, making Envy look down at him.

"For what?" he asked, his arm unconsciously wrapping around the smaller boy's waist.

"Being so paranoid? Making you cut class? Forcing you to stand under this dumb umbrella?"

"It is rather tiny." Envy noted.

"I'M NOT TINY!"

"Not you! The umbrella!"

"Oh…"

Silence fell between them again, and Envy looked beyond their small shelter at the sky. It didn't look as if the rain would let up any time soon.

"Hey Envy?" Edward said in a shaky voice.

"Yeah?" Envy replied, looking at him.

Edward wrapped an arm around Envy's neck and pulled him down into a kiss, their lips crashing together as another crack of thunder sounded around them. Shock ran through Envy's body, and for a second he froze, but before long he had melted into the kiss, tightening his grip around Edward while his other hand found its way into his long, golden hair. Time seemed to freeze as their lips pressed together. Envy ran his tongue over Edward's lower lip, asking for entrance, and the smaller boy complied instantly, opening his lips and allowing Envy's tongue to enter and explore the area. They stayed glued together like that for several minutes, before the need for oxygen forced them to surface.

Envy's lips tingled all over, but before he could say something Edward looked up at him and muttered something about getting back to class. Envy merely nodded and followed him back, wondering what was going on between them.

**XXX**

After the school day had ended, Envy followed Ling to his car and climbed in, now feeling slightly nervous. He had never spent any length of time alone with Ling, having always had Edward around when he had seen him, and after the kiss he had shared with Edward earlier that day, his head was in a state of confusion. Edward had avoided him for the rest of the day, going so far as to leave the school before Envy could even say goodbye. This had pissed Envy off, but he intended to phone Edward later and talk to him about it.

"Let's get going!" Ling said with excitement, starting the car and pulling out of the parking space faster than what was necessary. Envy clung to the dashboard to steady himself, and Ling sped off down the road, ignoring the speed limit.

"Ling, what the hell!" Envy exclaimed. "Why are you driving so damn fast?"

Ling shrugged, looking over at Envy. "I live pretty far from the school, so the faster I drive, the sooner we get back to my place."

"Assuming you don't kill us." Envy growled.

"Assuming I don't kill us." Ling agreed.

The drive was rather pleasant, taking nearly twenty minutes before they finally pulled into the driveway of a large mansion. The grounds were expansive, and it took them another five minutes just to reach the end of the driveway and pull up in front of the large garage.

"Well, were here!" Ling commented with a smile.

"And in one piece, thankfully." Envy muttered, climbing out of the car and onto the blessedly solid ground.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad." Ling said with a pout, but Envy merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"Wait, on Saturday you said that you walked to Edward's place. You mean to tell me that you walked all the way from here?"

Ling shrugged. "Like I said, I needed to clear my head. And I enjoy long walks."

"Ling, its several miles from here to Edward's house."

"So?" Ling countered. "I needed to get out."

Envy shrugged and let the matter drop, following Ling into the grandiose house. The foyer was gigantic, and it made Envy wonder what it was that Ling's father did for a living in order to afford such a place.

"Come on, I'll show you my room, then we can go grab something to eat in the kitchen."

They walked through the hallways, and at some point Envy had become hopelessly lost, but soon they were standing in a large room, with walls covered in posters promoting bands, movies, and pin-up girls.

"Girls, Ling?" Envy asked with an amused look.

"My parents don't know I'm gay." Ling replied sheepishly.

"Okay…"

They put down their school bags and Ling collapsed onto his bed.

"Dude, I'm bushed." He said. "We should go for a swim, it'll wake me up."

"Swimming? In this weather?" Envy asked in disbelief. It was still raining outside, albeit not as hard as it had earlier, but still enough to discourage swimming.

Ling laughed. "Indoor pool." He said. "Heated and all. Give me a sec to get some shorts for you to swim in, and we'll go."

Envy simply watched him as he went into his walk in closet, rummaging around for a few minutes before walking out with a pair of black swimming trunks.

"Here you go." Ling said, tossing them to him. There's a bathroom across the hall where you can change. I'll be here when you get out."

Envy nodded and did as he was told, changing in the large bathroom before returning to Ling's room and putting his shirt and pants into his bag.

"Nice." Ling said from the closet, looking at Envy's exposed chest and legs. Envy blushed scarlet and turned away.

"Pervert." He accused.

He stashed his clothing in his bag and grabbed the towel that Ling was holding and followed the other boy through the house again. The maze of twisting corridors and staircases eventually led them to a large room with a high ceiling, which had a skylight directly above the oval shaped pool. The pool's border was not brick, like most swimming pools, but proper rocks, and the room had trees growing in soft loamy soil, giving it a feeling of an enchanted pool in a forest. Envy's jaw dropped when he saw it.

"Wow…" he whispered.

"It's nothing, really." Ling said with a shrug. "You should see our holiday home, it's twice as big."

"What do your parents do for a living?" Envy asked in awe.

Ling simply shrugged again and made his way to the pool. Envy followed and laid his towel down before slipping into the pleasantly warm water, feeling all of his tense muscles relax. He let out a satisfied moan.

Ling stifled a laugh. "Moaning already, Envy?"

Envy shot him a sardonic look, which only made Ling laugh more and swim closer.

"You know, I could probably do a better job than the warm water." He said in a husky voice. Envy blushed harder and looked away, thinking about Edward and their earlier encounter under the umbrella.

Ling gently cupped Envy's face in his palm, lifting it so as to look into his eyes.  
"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I didn't mean to upset you."

All thought left Envy's mind as he used his body to pin Ling to the rocks behind him. With a wicked grin, he pressed his lips against Ling's and pushed his tongue into the other boy's mouth. Ling responded immediately, battling with Envy for dominance.

When Ling finally pulled away, Envy couldn't help the small whimper that escaped his lips at the loss of contact. Ling smiled softly and pressed their lips together again, this time far more gently than the first time. Envy pushed the length of his body against Ling and froze for a second when he felt Ling's hard member pressed against his thigh. Ling pulled away for a second and moved his face next to Envy's.

"Don't worry about that." he breathed into his ear in a low, seductive tone. "That's not important right now."

Ling kissed him again, wrapping his arms around Envy's body and pushed their bodies together again. At the contact, Envy felt his own manhood stiffen too.

'_I am so going to hell,' _Envy thought, _'but this is too damn good…'_

It was a few moments before Envy realized that he had begun grinding his hips against Ling's, making the boy moan softly into his mouth.

"Envy," he moaned, "stop…"

Envy pulled away, blushing heavily.

"I don't know what came over me…" he said quietly. "Sorry, Ling."

Ling grinned and swept his hair out of his face. "Don't apologize," he said. "I enjoyed it too. I just don't want to rush things."

Without shame, he dipped his hand into his pants and adjusted his throbbing erection, and Envy did the same.

"Let's head to the kitchen," Ling suggested. "You made me work up an appetite."

As Envy followed Ling back through the massive house, he found his head twisting in all directions. He had kissed both Edward and Ling on the same day, and now he was completely confused.

_Edward P.O.V_

Edward was furious. No, more than furious. He was livid. Ling had Envy all to himself for the afternoon, and there was no telling what he was doing to the poor boy. In fact, he was probably doing all the things that Edward wanted to be doing to Envy. Or Ling. Or both…

Edward shook his head violently, as if to shake the thoughts out of his mind.

The worst was that Ling had planned it out. He _knew _that Roy was working, and he _knew _that Edward had an important test to study for. It took a great deal of effort to go home and study, knowing what Ling was planning, but Edward had behaved like a good boy, knowing that he'd get his turn soon enough.

"Alright, Ling." He murmured to himself with a smirk. "Game on. I'll show you that I can play this game too."

"Who are you talking too?"

Edward jumped into the air in fright, turning to face his brother as he entered the room.

"Al!" he panted, "Don't scare me like that!"

Alphonse simply shrugged and continued into the room. "Why are you talking to yourself? And why are you so jumpy?"

Edward flipped his brother the finger and ignored him. Alphonse frowned and glared at his brother.

"No need to get bitchy, Edward." He said. "It was just a question."

"A stupid one." Edward muttered.

"You're the stupid one." Alphonse replied hotly. "Don't get grouchy with me just because you're PMSing a like a little girl."

"I'm not little!" Edward yelled.

"Yeah you are." Alphonse taunted. "You're tiny. A speck."

"I'M NOT A SPECK YOU ASSHOLE!"

Alphonse smirked. "Midget."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING TOO SHORT TO SWAT A FLY?"

Satisfied, Alphonse shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving behind an even more infuriated Edward.

"Stupid git brother." He muttered to himself. "I'll get him back for that."

"You're doing it again!" Alphonse yelled from somewhere, and Edward slammed the door.

When Edward drove to school the next day, he was in a foul mood. His dreams had plagued him with images of Envy and Ling, hanging onto each other and making out, or simply the two of them together, dating. When he saw them, however, he relaxed. Envy was leaning against a locker, talking to Ling like any other day. Edward put a smile on his face and joined them, greeting them both in a friendly manner.

"Hey Edward." Ling said with a smile. "We're having a party this weekend. You in?"

Edward's eyebrow twitched. "What's the occasion?"

"Who says we need an occasion?" Envy asked rhetorically. "We just wanna party!"

Edward laughed. "Alright, I'm in. Who else is coming?"

Ling shrugged. "Who ever shows up, I guess. I'm gonna spread the word today, mostly to our classmates. Oh, and Lust is invited too, of course." He added, looking at Envy. "And any of your other siblings, if you'd like."

Envy shuddered. "I'd rather not have Wrath or Sloth with us at a party. Sloth would insist on us not drinking, and Wrath would probably land up destroying something valuable."

Edward arched a brow. "So there's going to be alcohol involved?"

Ling rolled his eyes. "Duh. It wouldn't be a party without it!"

Edward smirked evilly, already plotting. This party would be the perfect time to get Envy alone, particularly if he had a little booze in his system.

"Edward" Envy said, waving his hand in front of the blonde's face. "Hello?"

Ling sighed theatrically. "He's spaced out again. His attention span is rather –"

"Don't say it!" Envy cut in quickly, seeing Edward's eyes narrow.

"Rather what, Ling?" he said in a dangerous voice.

"Er, nothing." Ling said innocently as the bell for class rang. "And there's the bell! Gotta go, see you guys later!"

With that, Ling jogged away for class, Leaving Envy and Edward alone.

"So Envy," Edward said as casually as possible, "how was yesterday?"

Envy seemed to blush for a second, but when Edward looked closer it was gone.

"It was pretty good." Envy replied. "Ling's house is huge! And the pool is awesome. But the best was the food."

"The pool? You guys went for a swim?"

Envy nodded. "Uh, yeah. It was nice."

Edward smiled. "Cool. Anyway, I'd better get to class. See you at lunch!"

"Bye." Envy replied with a smile.

In second period, Edward rounded on Ling.

"The pool?" he hissed, and Ling looked unconcerned. "I know what usually happens in that pool, Ling."

"So?" Ling countered. "You two aren't together, are you? He's fair game."

Edward growled. "You're cheating."

Ling chuckled. "There's rules?"

Edward turned his back on Ling and focused on the chalkboard, but Ling leaned toward him.

"I will admit, however, that I did think about you while I was there with him. Thinking about how that would've been… Imagining what it would be like to have you against those rocks with your tongue down my throat…"

Edward shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the images. As mad as he was with Ling, he couldn't deny that the idea was intriguing.

"You could always come over after school today, you know." Ling continued. "And we could discuss that scenario in more detail… I'm sure you could skip one day of studying…"

Edward moaned quietly, tempted by Ling's offer.

"It'd just be the two of us. Think about it."

With that, Ling went back to his work, not knowing that Edward was sporting a throbbing erection from just the thought of it. After that, they didn't speak again until the bell rang.

As Edward picked up his bag and turned to the door, he muttered, "See you later."

**XXX**

Sorry for the long wait. The next chapter will most likely be up within the next week, so look out for it.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: **_*Disclaims*

_**Warnings: **_*Warns*

A special thanks to the following reviewers. I was running low on inspiration, so I went and read the reviews for the previous chapters, and they helped a lot. So, thanks to:

**YukinoKara, The Golden Lily, Silver Hunter, Tanzinite firephoenix,**

**Evangeline The Fallen, starchilds, pandas'n'kisses,**

**Latios381, AyameRose, Reasonfalling, and done-and-done.**

This chapter in particular is dedicated to **YukinoKara** and **Latios381**. You're reviews are inspiring! I love you guys!

_**Chapter 6**_

_Envy P.O.V_

Envy stretched out across his bed, music blaring from his ancient stereo, staring at the roof and thinking. Lust was sitting in a chair not far from him, bobbing her head to the beat of the music while she read a book. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked over to her.

"Hey, Lust?"

Lust idly turned a page in her book with a casual flick of her fingers and looked up at her brother.

"Yes, Envy?"

"What do you think I should do?" he asked, relying on their twinly connection so that he didn't need to explain what he meant. Lust frowned slightly, bringing a finger to her chin and tapping it thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure, Envy." She replied. "They're both good guys."

Envy allowed himself to fall back against his bed, sighing.

"That's the problem. I like them both."

"And it seems that they like each other, too." Lust noted.

"You caught that too?" Envy asked his sister. "I was hoping I was imagining things…"

Lust chuckled. "Would you prefer to be the center of their attention?"

"No." Envy replied instantly. But then he frowned again. "Yes? Maybe… I don't know! This is all so screwy, I'm not even sure what's going on."

Lust nodded. "The three of you need to sit down and talk about it. Maybe you'll have a chance to do that at the party this weekend."

Envy propped himself up again and gave Lust a deadpan stare. "Lust, think about it. We're going to a party, one with alcohol. Do you really think we'll sit there and discuss this at that time?"

"Point taken." Lust conceded. "But don't put it off for too long, okay?"

"Only for as long as it takes us to get over our collective hangovers." Envy promised. "Speaking of these things, what's happening between you and Roy?"

Lust giggled slightly. "Honestly, I don't know. I like him, he likes me, but he hasn't asked me out yet. I'm hoping he'll ask me to be his date for the party."

Envy grinned "I'll let slip that you're going dateless and see what happens."

Lust gave him a grateful smile. "Has Ling told you more about the party yet?"

Envy grinned. "Oh yes. The invitations are going out tomorrow. It's going to be at his place, and it's a Masquerade party."

Lust looked stunned. "You mean, dressing up, and masks off at midnight?"

Envy nodded. "Yeah. It's gonna be awesome. Which reminds me, we need to go shopping."

His sister nodded, and went back to her book.

"It's so hard to choose." Envy muttered, almost to himself. "I like them both a lot. And even if I choose one, what if they choose each other, instead?"

"There's no nice way for this to play out." Lust said. "But if the three of you keep this up, it's just going to get worse."

"I know." Envy groaned. "Urgh, this sucks."

The next day, there was a noticeable drop in temperature. The morning frost took a long time to melt away, and the wind held a bitter chill. Dressing warmly, Envy waited for his siblings by the front door.

"Come on guys!" he yelled. "We're gonna be late!"

Dante slouched past him her nightgown and slippers, her usually perfect hair standing in all directions. She shot him a death glare for being loud, to which he simply grinned and greeted her cheerfully. She ignored his greeting and flashed him her middle finger before continuing toward the kitchen.

"Let's go." Lust said as she descended the staircase, along with Sloth and a disgruntled looking Wrath.

"I hate school." Their youngest sibling muttered darkly, to which Sloth clicked her tongue in a manner reminiscent of their mother.

"You shouldn't have that kind of attitude." She reprimanded him. "You need to be more positive."

"Shut it, Sloth." Envy said, silencing her with a wave of his hand. "You and Pride are going to drive the rest of us insane."

"I agree." Lust added. "Can it."

"Bitch." Sloth growled, glaring daggers at Lust, who merely gave her a contemptuous glance.

"Okaaaaaay…" Envy said. "You girls done? Good. Let's get going."

"You started it." Wrath said grumpily, and Envy cuffed him on the head.

"Pipe down, squirt."

The drive to school was short, and before they knew it they were sitting in Mrs. Curtis' class again, listening to her droning on and on. There was a tap on his shoulder, and Envy turned slightly to look at Edward.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Here." Edward said, slipping a piece of brightly colored paper into his hand. "It's an invitation for Ling's party. I already gave Lust hers before class."

Envy smiled his thanks at Edward, and the blonde boy immediately blushed.

"Envy, Edward." Mrs. Curtis called, glaring at them. "Is there something you want to share with the class?"

"No, that's okay." Envy said, also blushing now. "Sorry."

Up ahead, he saw Lust roll her eyes at him, grinning despite herself and also holding a bright invitation. The rest of the day passed by quickly, and before he knew it Envy was standing in the parking lot with his twin, talking to Ling and Edward.

"So you two are coming, right?" Ling asked the twins.

"Of course." Envy said at once. "My mother shouldn't have a problem with it."

Lust nodded. "She won't mind at all. It's this Saturday, right?"

Ling nodded.

"Good. We have a family thing on Friday, and there's no way we'd escape that."

Envy looked at Lust. "You know, you'd think someone would've told me about that, considering I'm family…"

Lust shrugged. "It's not like you wouldn't have figured it out. But if you miss it, Dante is going to have a small problem with it."

A vein in Edward's brow twitched at that. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING TOO SHORT TO –"

"Oh look, here's Roy." Ling said, ignoring Edward. Lust blushed lightly as he approached, and when he stopped next to them it was plain that he was blushing too.

"Uh, hey guys."

"Hey Roy." Envy greeted with a devilish grin. "Is the heat of winter getting to you? You seem a little sunburned."

Roy's blush deepened, and Lust punched Envy's shoulder.

"Bitch." He muttered, rubbing the sore spot.

"So, uhm, Lust…" Roy mumbled. "About the party… do you maybe, um…"

Lust blushed again and giggled. "Sure."

This had Roy beaming. "Great!"

"Straight guys…" Ling muttered, rolling his eyes.

_Edward P.O.V_

It was Thursday, and Edward had nothing to do. Alphonse was tottering around the house and cleaning things, which Edward wasn't about to volunteer to do, and he had a pile of homework, but that didn't seem very appealing. His mind was focused on Ling. Even though he had been fighting with Ling over Envy, the fact remained that Edward was attracted to him. When he had gone over to Ling's house, they had had a rather pleasant make-out session which had driven Envy far from his mind. Even now, he found himself thinking of Ling frequently.

"_I'm going to hell…" _he thought to himself.

He turned to his computer, hoping to take his mind off of things, and his phone rang suddenly, making him jump in surprise.

"Hello?" he answered cautiously.

"Hey."

It was Envy! But why was he calling?

"Hey, Envy." Edward greeted. "What's up?"

He could almost feel Envy shrug at the question. "Not much. Just bored, you know. I wanted someone to talk to, and I thought of you, so…"

Edward felt his heart skip a beat.

"You thought of me?"

"Yeah, well, I uh…" Envy stuttered, sounding embarrassed. Edward smiled.

"What are you up to?"

"Just doing some homework." Envy replied, sounding normal again. "You?"

"Not much…" he admitted, then inspiration hit. "Hey, do you want a coffee? There's a really nice café not far from here if you wanna meet up."

"Sure!" Envy replied enthusiastically. "I mean, I'll have to check with my mom, but it should be okay if I tell her I'm getting help with my homework or something."

Edward grinned. "Is that a request?"

"No." Envy scoffed. "It's an excuse to get me out the house during the week. And a viable one, that could be used again if she thinks I need help with a subject."

"You want this to be a regular thing?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean. I'll text you in a minute, let me go ask her. Pick me up at mine?"

"Sure thing." Edward replied with a smile. He hung up. Looking in the mirror directly across from him, he swore and rushed to his wardrobe for a change of clothes. He quickly threw on a light blue sweater and a clean pair of navy jeans, before pulling his hair out of it's customary braid and tying it in a loose, wavy ponytail. He checked his teeth in the mirror to make sure nothing was stuck in them, then ran down the stairs.

"Al! I'm going out!"

Alphonse stuck his head out of the kitchen, frowning. "Where are you going, brother?"

"Just out." Edward replied. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

Alphonse nodded, clearly not happy with his brother's answer, but left it at that. Edward sped off to his car, at the same time reading a text from Envy saying that his mother had agreed. He couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face.

When he picked Envy up, the taller boy gave him a worried look.

"Stop that, you're grinning like a – a Roy!"

Edward burst out laughing. "Like a Roy?"

"You know…"

Edward nodded. "Indeed I do."

The drive took only ten minutes, and before they knew it they were sitting in a comfy booth, sipping their drinks.

"I'm glad you called." Edward said. "I was dying of boredom."

Envy chuckled into his steaming mug of white hot chocolate. "Glad I could be of some entertainment."

They were silent for a moment, looking at each other before they both blushed and looked away.

"I like your hair like that." Envy muttered suddenly.

"What?"

Envy shrugged. "It's not braided. It looks nice." He reached out a hand and ran his fingers through Edward's golden locks.

"Soft…"

Edward blushed again, but didn't stop him.

"You look nice too." He said, and it was true. Envy was wearing a pure black shirt with a splash of luminous green across the chest, with dark jeans and black boots. His long hair was falling around his face attractively, and the boy practically dripped sexiness.

"Thanks." Envy replied, blushing deeply and making Edward chuckle.

"You know, we're like a bunch of girls."

"How so?" Envy inquired, releasing Edward's hair and taking another drink.

"All we ever seem to do around each other is blush, haven't you noticed?"

Envy laughed. "We do, don't we?"

There was silence again, with Edward staring into the last dregs of his coffee and Envy looking at the table top.

"I guess it's because I really like you, Edward." Envy finally said. "A lot."

Edward looked up at him. "I really like you too, Envy…"

Silence again.

"But you also like Ling."

It wasn't a question, so Edward nodded. "Yes, I do. But honestly, I like you more… Ling and I, we go back a long way. I don't think I could ever…"

Envy nodded. "I think I like you more, too. Ling's a bit too, well…"

"Over the top?" Edward supplied, and both boys laughed.

"I guess you can put it that way."

As Envy finished off his drink his phone rang. He answered it and spoke for a minute, frowning.

"I'd better get home." He told Edward after he hung up.

"Trouble?"

Envy shook his head. "Nah. It's all good. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Don't you want me to drive you?" Edward asked, and Envy shook his head again.

"That's okay. I need some time to think, you know?"

Edward nodded, understanding that their confessions hadn't been a final decision. Good, because Edward was still confused too.

He watched Envy leave and ordered another cup of coffee. He needed time to think too.

_**XXXXX**_

_**A/N: **_Kinda short, I know… Sorry for the wait. Hard to write fluffy things at the moment. I won't make any promises for when the next update will be, since I never seem to be able to stick to them, but I'll try to make it as soon as possible. Leave me a review please!

Rekhyt


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